You can’t defy destiny. Zanjeer’s script did the rounds of so many stars – Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Dharmendra. Raaj Kumar and even Navin Nischol before finally landing in Amitabh Bachchan’s kitty. Because another superstar was waiting to be born. No one could have paid the angry-young-man better. The lanky actor hardly looked like a police inspector but his serious demeanour and the anger in his eyes made you forget everything else. Bachchan’s bravura act has been the platinum standard for screen cops ever since. Zanjeer is a gritty portrayal of an honest cop’s life in microsom. It’s full of low life and bent characters and shows how police have to befriend criminals – his best friend is a Pathan goon who reformed his ways – to gather insights and info. Pran as Sher Khan, a local dada too gave a lionhearted performance as a loyal friend. Jaya Bhaduri played a street gypsy who falls in love with the sombre inspector and gives him some reason to smile. Love bloomed on the sets and the duo married shortly after the film’s release.

DID YOU KNOW?

Bachchan was on the brink of bowing out of the film industry after giving a string of flops. Legend has it that he even had a ticket reserved for Allahabad and returned from the station for a sitting with director Prakash Mehra.